Chapter 150: Genius

Chapter 150: A Genius

Meng Fan sent back a smiley face: "I hope to be your first reader."

Brother A-Yin’s reply was simple: "Mm."

It is difficult for men to exchange more than three sentences on WeChat—er, with the exception of Brother Kun.

As luck would have it, just after finishing his chat with Brother A-Yin, Brother Kun sent a message. They discussed many details regarding the comic adaptation, a conversation finally brought to an end by Meng Fan’s blunt question: "With all that talk, how much of the script have you actually written?"

Truth be told, Brother Kun was deeply invested in the comic version of *Spirits Beneath the Earth*. Even before collaborating with Meng Fan, he had already penned quite a few drafts. Since teaming up, he checked in with Meng Fan at least three times a day to discuss the adaptation. Through their deliberations, they had scrapped and revised the earlier scripts several times; as of now, eleven chapters had been organized and handed over to Meng Fan.

Since the upload, Brother Kun’s passion had remained undiminished, at least for these past few days. It was hard to say if this was tied to the comic’s performance, but beyond the initial surge of followers on the first day, the subsequent reviews had been stellar—garnering praise not just from fans and readers, but from industry peers as well.

Over the last few days, Brother Kun had received no small amount of envy from his colleagues. First, they envied him for finding such a stellar partner—a livestreamer who could pull in over two hundred thousand followers was a partner they would all dream of having, even if just once.

Second, they envied the content of the adaptation. Staying true to the original work was secondary; the key was that Brother Kun was able to participate and maintain control, which was a result of his autonomy over the rights and his own deep understanding of the adaptation process.

Third, they envied the rave reviews the comic received upon release. While comic adaptations are generally less prone to harsh criticism than film or television, they are notoriously easy to alienate from the original fanbase while failing to attract new readers. Yet, the comic version of *Spirits Beneath the Earth* had captured both audiences perfectly, leaving almost no room for complaint.

Although only three chapters were out, many industry insiders already considered it the strongest novel-to-comic adaptation to date!

Well, at least that was what Brother Kun kept hearing.

Of course, these weren't just empty words. Shortly after the comic went live, a publishing house had already approached him to discuss a collected volume, and an animation director had even expressed keen interest.

All of this kept Brother Kun brimming with passion.

He simply couldn't resist the thrill of being envied by others.

Meng Fan could certainly feel this intensity. In his view, regardless of what might happen in the future, this passion was at least enough to sustain Brother Kun through fifty chapters without running out of scripts.

The next day was Saturday, and there were no basketball games; the school quarter-finals would begin next Monday. However, Meng Fan did have a match this weekend. On Sunday—tomorrow—the CGL Basketball Championship city qualifier for Hangzhou would take place at the same arcade as before.

The organizers had long since messaged Meng Fan, inviting him to familiarize himself with the venue and the official competition machines.

Meng Fan had already visited the venue once. As for the official machines, he assumed they were just newer models or something similar, so he hadn't paid them much mind. However, when Da Fei sent a WeChat message today suggesting they go check them out together, he mentioned that the competition machines were different from the previous ones—the height of the hoop and the distance from the player were both changed.

This caught Meng Fan by surprise. He did care about this city qualifier; after all, winning would guarantee him a championship honor point, and his odds of winning were high. He couldn't afford a slip-up just because he wasn't used to the equipment. So, he agreed, hailed a taxi after nine in the morning, and headed to the venue.

Meng Fan met Da Fei at the entrance. The flashy guy in the pink hat wasn't there, but Brother Pao was. Brother Pao craned his neck, looking left and right, clearly disappointed not to see the "maid corps."

It was not yet ten o'clock when they arrived, but the arcade was already packed, with almost everyone crowded around the basketball machine area.

Da Fei took the "admission ticket" to check in and join the queue, while Meng Fan stood to the side, examining the new machines. The exterior had changed significantly, emblazoned with the large CGL Basketball Championship logo. The hoop height and distance had indeed been adjusted, and the entire machine looked more spacious—it certainly looked suited for competition.

Of course, such large machines weren't ideal for an arcade. The added performance of a wider machine was negligible for casual players, but for the arcade, the extra width and length were a heavy burden—floor space was expensive!

Where two competition machines stood, three regular ones could have fit.

Though it was a positive change, it was definitely something that required practice.

By the time they finished queuing, an hour had passed, and they were only allowed three rounds. Meng Fan tried it out, found no issues, played two rounds, and then stopped, yielding his spot to Da Fei.

"You're done?"

"Yeah, I just got a call about something. I'm heading out."

Feeling satisfied, Meng Fan didn't intend to wait in line again. He bid Da Fei farewell and left.

Brother Pao looked bewildered: "When did he get a call?"

Da Fei laughed: "Do you know what a genius is? A genius is someone who repeats things the most! They let every organ in their body participate in the repetition! The eyes are a camera, the mouth is a repeater, the ears are a recorder, the hands are a copier, and the brain is a computer!"

Brother Pao looked even more bewildered. What are you talking about? I choose to crash!

Da Fei shrugged: "He’s a super genius. A few repetitions are all he needs."

On the taxi ride back, Meng Fan received a call from Qin Jiu.

"My friend said he received your poster and is extremely satisfied. He even said it was worth more than he paid." Qin Jiu paused, her tone laced with a hint of suspicion as she added, "I saw the poster you gave him. The brushwork is excellent—much better than what I saw last time! Your progress is immense! I mean, why is your improvement so drastic?"

As Meng Fan’s teacher, and because Meng Fan’s mother was her own mentor, Qin Jiu’s concern for him far exceeded that of her other students. In the past month, the biggest change she observed in Meng Fan wasn't his study habits or his sudden weight loss, but his artistic skill!

The improvement was simply too massive!

Though the Qin family wasn't from a comic background—they taught scene and character design—as the deputy director of the animation department, she was well-versed in the field. She knew exactly how significant this transformation was and what his current skill level represented!

This wasn't the kind of change a normal person could achieve in a month. It was like a two-hundred-pound man suddenly winning a bodybuilding championship—at least at the national level!

Meng Fan had long expected this question. In fact, he had held back, not showing his full potential, and had already prepared the most straightforward answer: "I was like that before because I wasn't serious. Now that I'm both serious and hardworking, my progress is naturally large."

"Who are you trying to fool? Is this just a matter of being serious and hardworking?"

"Well... maybe I really am just a genius!"

Seeking monthly votes, two more chapters to come.

(End of chapter)